


Yeoman Jones

by billiethepoet



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-14 19:16:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14142759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/billiethepoet/pseuds/billiethepoet
Summary: TheEnterprisetakes on a new yeoman and she notices some things about her command team.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As always, much love to [Curry](http://itemfinder.tumblr.com/) for the beta.

She smoothed the front of her short, red uniform. It was the first day of her first assignment. And she was yeoman to the captain of the _Enterprise_. 

She hoped she didn’t fuck it up. 

***************  
“Hey Margo! Hey!” 

She turned to see Kevin Riley jogging down the corridor. Margo had known Kevin for years, even before he went to the Academy. He caught her up in a big, breathless hug. Her feet even lifted off the ground. 

When Kevin released her, Margo ran her hands along her uniform again, just in case of wrinkles. “Lieutenant Riley.” 

“Aw, come on Margo. This ship is already full of stiffs. At least you could be some fun.” 

Riley had always been a bit of a whiner. But he was a whiner who was a commissioned officer. Not just enlisted personnel like she was. 

Margo smiled weakly. “It’s my first day, Kevin. I can’t screw this up.” 

“You’re not going to screw it up.” Kevin bumped their shoulders together. “Come on, let’s get breakfast before alpha shift and I’ll introduce you around.” 

That didn’t sound so bad. Even if she wasn’t sure if Kevin was the kind of person she should be associating with on her first day, he had to know someone more appropriate. Maybe someone who could help her blend in and do a good job around here. No. _A great job._

She punched in a light but nutritionally balanced breakfast program into the replicator. Kevin had a plate of bacon and a steaming cup of coffee. He led her to a table full of young officers and squeezed in between two operations crewmen, leaving Margo standing there looking for a space. 

“Hey everybody, this is Margo Jones. She’s a new yeoman.” Riley paused to shove an entire piece of bacon in his mouth in one go. “Margo, this is Tomlinson, his girl Angela Martine, Lemli, and Leslie.” 

Riley was sitting between Leslie and Lemli, a lieutenant and an ensign. Tomlinson and Martine were both lieutenants in command gold. She could do this. She could remember all of this. 

“Hello.” She still stood next to the table, tray awkwardly held in front of her, and now they were all staring at her. Except for Riley, who was shoving more bacon in his mouth and stealing some toast from Tomlinson’s plate. 

Martine smiled at her. “Kevin’s got terrible manners. Here.” She slid closer to Tomlinson, pushing him farther down the bench, until Margo could squeeze in. 

“Thank you.” It came out quieter than Margo would have liked, but these were officers so maybe it was better to be quiet with them. 

“Aw, Margo knows I’ve got terrible manners. She’s known me for ages.” 

Lemli jabbed Riley in the ribs. “I’m surprised she agreed to this assignment if she knew you were onboard.” 

Riley opened his mouth, full of Tomlinson’s toast, to argue but Margo spoke up first. 

“Oh no, I would never turn down an assignment on the _Enterprise_. She’s…” Margo felt her cheeks heat as everyone watched her, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Well, she’s the best isn’t she?” 

There was a beat while everyone looked at her. Margo felt small and naive and childish. Until Martine broke into a grin. 

“Yeah, we’re all a little star struck by her. There are hard days, but I’d rather have a hard day here than anywhere else.” 

Margo breathed a sigh of relief, but this still wasn’t the under-the-radar approach she’d planned on. 

“What are your assignments? Are you all on alpha shift?” That should be enough to take attention away from her. 

Lemli spoke up first. “I’m in engineering. We swap shifts a lot more than other departments but I’m on alpha for now.” He jabbed his fork at Leslie. “He gets to man the engineering station on the bridge.”

“You can have it if you want it. Having Commander Spock watch you all day is downright creepy. Can’t relax at all.” 

“Yeah,” Riley jumped in. “At least in engineering Lieutenant Commander Scott lets you have some fun.” 

“His still is a lot of fun.” Leslie cracked the first smile Margo had seen out of him and the rest of the crew broke out laughing. She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or not. 

“I have the great honor of flying this bird.” Riley mocked a bow from his seat. “And Martine and Tomlinson shoot stuff.” 

Martine rolled her eyes. “We both work in the forward phaser control room. I’m on a gunner crew and Rob is one of the phaser specialists.” She leaned over and whispered conspiratorially, “It’s not as exciting as it sounds.” 

Margo smiled. It didn’t sound exciting to her at all. It sounded dangerous. 

“Have you been assigned duties yet?” 

All eyes turned back to her at Tomlinson’s question. She went stock-still to keep herself from fidgeting. 

“I’ve been assigned as Captain Kirk’s yeoman.” 

Crickets. If crickets existed in space. 

Margo started to count the silent seconds. Surely Riley couldn’t stay quiet for too long. He’d never been silent for more than ten seconds since the day he was born. 

“I thought the captain hated female yeomen!” 

Leslie tossed a napkin at Riley. “He doesn’t hate them. I don’t think so anyway.” 

Margo’s stomach dropped. 

Some of her despair must have shown on her face because Martine leaned over toward her again. “They’re exaggerating. He’s just private, in a strange sort of way, and well… you know… has a reputation with women…” 

Tomlinson looked concerned too. “You do know that, right?” 

Margo nodded. She didn’t know that. Not really. Of course he was the youngest captain in Starfleet and handsome and single so the rumor mill was bound to work overtime. It couldn’t be that bad in reality. 

Martine patted her arm. “Don’t worry. Captain Kirk is one of the most honorable men I’ve ever met. He would never take advantage of a subordinate.” 

Riley grinned and leaned across the table. “Well, Mr. Spock’s his subordinate, innit he?” He kept his voice low and looked over his shoulder to make sure no one around their table had heard him. 

Lemli rolled his eyes, but also whispered. “Cut it out, Riley. There’s nothing going on between the captain and Commander Spock.” 

“You’re not on the bridge with them! Leslie, tell them!” 

Leslie shifted uncomfortably. “They are closer than a lot of officers I’ve worked with. But it’s a deep space mission, yeah? You have to make friends.” 

Riley opened his mouth to gloat but Tomlinson cut him off. “I did see the commander get brought into Sickbay once for an injury he got on an away mission. I don’t think it was serious but Captain Kirk read him the riot act about putting himself in unnecessary danger.”

“So? He’d do that to any of us,” Lemli said. 

Tomlinson shook his head. “Not like this. It wasn’t like a lecture from a commanding officer. It was more like being mad at someone you care about.”

Riley smacked his hand on the table, causing several people to look their way. He waited until the noise level in the commissary went back to normal. “You’re all missing the big picture here.” Riley paused and flashed them a grin for dramatic effect. “Margo can spy for us!” 

“Oh no no no no.” It was the first time Margo had spoken with any force. She leaned over the table and pointed right in Riley’s smirking face. Everyone else starred. It didn’t matter if this wasn’t the first impression she wanted to make, she couldn’t let Riley think she’d be reporting anything about Captain Kirk back to him. “I am not spying on my captain!”

“Oh come on Margo. Be a good sport. We just want to know if he and the commander are...making the most of their time in deep space, that’s all.” 

“No,” she hissed across the table.

A boatswain whistle sounded over the intercom, alerting them they had five minutes until the start of alpha shift. 

Margo stood, gripping her tray until her knuckles turned white. “I’m not here to find out Captain Kirk’s private business. Not with anyone!”

She heard Riley whining and sputtering behind her as she joined the queue of crewman rushing to return their trays and head to their stations. She took a deep breath, focused her gaze straight ahead, and made her face as impassive as possible. She was here to serve, and to serve the captain specifically, and Riley wasn’t going to ruin that for her.


	2. Chapter 2

Margo’s first task was to confirm that her PADD had correctly downloaded the gamma shift reports from the astrometrics lab. They had been running time-consuming simulations during the ships “overnight” period. That report and the new crew assignments from their stopover at Starbase 12, including Margo herself, needed to be delivered to the captain on the bridge. 

She could do this. 

The turbolift made her stomach lurch, even though she knew the physics involved couldn’t cause that to happen. The doors swooshed open and the overhead lights reflected off the golden crown of Captain Kirk’s head. 

_Don’t fall down the stairs, Margo._

She made it to stand next to the captain’s chair without tripping. She gave Captain Kirk the PADD with only a little shake in her hands. She was fairly sure he didn’t notice. 

The few minutes she spent standing next to the chair while the whirl of the bridge crew’s work went on around her and Kirk skimmed through the astrometrics report were excruciatingly awkward. No one mentioned how uncomfortable it would be during training. 

Margo clasped her hands and looked at her feet. 

She only looked up again when she caught Captain Kirk’s movement in her peripheral vision. He smiled at her, slow and almost sultry, as he handed the PADD back. She took hold of the bottom corner, but he did not release his grip.

“Thank you, Yeoman…?” 

“Jones, sir. Margo Jones.” Her face was turning red. She could feel it in her cheeks and behind her ears. Maybe if she could get off the bridge quickly no one would notice. 

“Well, good to have you as part of the crew, Yeoman Margo Jones.” His smile was blinding. No wonder everyone from alien diplomats to space pirates threw themselves at him. 

“Thank you, sir.” 

He paused, as if he expected her to say more. Margo wasn’t ready to let out any personal details and you couldn’t really talk about the weather in space. Instead, she waited.

Kirk let go of the PADD and Margo pulled it to her chest. 

“Let Mr. Spock approve the crew roster before you leave the bridge.” The captain twisted in his chair to indicate Commander Spock standing by the science station. As if Margo wouldn’t recognize one of the most famous and unique officers in the fleet. 

She left almost an entire arm’s length of space between herself and Commander Spock when she handed the PADD over. Her basic training had included introductory xenobiology, so she knew about Vulcans and their preference for lots of personal space. He also intimidated the hell out of her. 

His eyes scanned the updated roster briefly. He looked up at her with a quirked eyebrow. 

“You appear flushed, Yeoman. Do you need to visit Sickbay?” He kept his voice low enough that no one around them seemed to hear. 

“No, sir.” Margo forced herself to pause and take a breath. “Just nervous.” 

Being so personal with the commander on her first day made her skin crawl. But this was a deep space mission. She’d have to get used to the intimacy of close quarters. 

Spock took the pen from her hand and signed off on the crew roster. “Welcome aboard, Yeoman.” 

He didn’t sound very welcoming. 

Margo made it into the turbolift even though her legs felt like they wouldn’t carry her. Leslie gave her an encouraging half-smile from his engineering station. She tried to ignore Riley’s obnoxious two thumbs-up, which she was sure Captain Kirk could see. She would get better at being on the bridge. She had to; it was part of her job. And the bridge was beautiful. 

Before the doors closed, she watched Captain Kirk walk to the science station and lean against its edge, far closer to Commander Spock’s arm than she would ever have dared. His golden smile looked down at the crown of Spock’s head as the commander looked through his viewfinder. There was no stiffness in Spock’s curled spine. 

Maybe there was something to Riley’s theory.


	3. Chapter 3

They were expecting a boatload of diplomats. Everyone was stressed and hurrying to prepare the ship. They were picking up most of the delegations by leapfrogging through starbases and waypoints. Except the Vulcans. They were going to be picked up last, from the Vulcan homeworld. 

Margo had spent months now working under Captain Kirk, which meant prolonged exposure to Commander Spock as well. She could see the Vulcans “logically” demanding to be picked up from their own planet. And joining the _Enterprise_ last so their arrival was even more dramatic. 

She quite liked Vulcans now that she knew Mr. Spock better. 

The logistics of getting everyone on board, arranging them in some configuration of cabins that didn’t offend anyone, and entertaining them all was...complicated. The yeoman, ensigns, and some of the enlisted lieutenants were bunking together so the more senior officers could have their cabins and the delegates could have the nicest accommodations on the ship. There just weren’t enough staterooms to go around. 

Margo didn’t want to think about some security goon sleeping in her bed but you made sacrifices on deep space journeys. 

The first group of delegates would be on board for eight days before the Vulcans arrived, then they’d have to turn around and head to wherever the negotiations were going to take place. It was pretty hush-hush, but maybe Riley would tell her where they were going. 

Entertaining Tellarites for eight days was trying. 

The corridors were crowded and she struggled to keep her position a few steps behind Captain Kirk and Commander Spock without being separated from them. She needed to stay close enough to hear instructions but not so close that she made them uncomfortable. 

That initial awkwardness Margo had felt on the bridge had fallen away quickly. She and Kirk had settled into a comfortable working relationship. Margo loved being his yeoman and she loved the _Enterprise_. Even if she was currently sharing quarters with an ensign on gamma shift and not getting nearly as much sleep as she should. 

One reason she and Kirk worked so well together is that she could be silent and discreet. It was no secret that Kirk and Spock were the best command team in the fleet. So emulating some of Commander Spock’s habits seemed like a good idea. 

“What do you think, Yeoman Jones?” Kirk called over his shoulder. 

“We have replacement replicators in storage. If we activate those, we have the capacity to provide food for everyone on board without becoming overwhelmed at regular meal times. Even with the Caitians eating seven times a day.” 

“Very good. Alert engineering to get those replicators powered up and ready.” Kirk turned back to Commander Spock with a smile on his face and Margo fell back another step. The Captain asked her opinion on things now. A bubble of pride bloomed in her chest. 

A Tellarite came close to bumping into Mr. Spock. He side stepped, causing his shoulder to collide with Captain Kirk’s. 

Kirk reached up and grasped Spock’s bicep to steady him. He held on and his fingers flexed against Spock’s sleeve. 

“Ambassador Gav.” 

The Tellarite nodded and bustled by, obviously oblivious to the threat in the captain’s voice but Margo heard it. So did Spock. 

He turned toward Captain Kirk and Margo watched his profile as his eyebrow arched up and the corners of his lips tightened. 

Kirk shrugged, squeezed Spock’s arm again, and dropped his hand. Margo continued to follow them down the corridor, paying close attention to anything involving the ambassadors and deliberately ignoring their plans for dinner in the captain’s quarters and a quiet game of chess after hours.


	4. Chapter 4

It was her first away mission. Yeomen didn’t often get called to go planet-side on actual missions, but the captain wanted her to take charge of a tricorder to get some biological readings on plant life. She wasn’t strictly qualified but the captain had been allowing her to branch out a bit. Giving your subordinates growth opportunities was part of leadership. It said so in the Starfleet command training manual Lieutenant Sulu let her borrow.

“Yeoman.” 

Mr. Spock’s commands were always gentle but they made her jump all the same. She knelt down near him, but not close enough that they could accidentally touch. “Yes sir?”

He pointed out a small, purple flower growing almost entirely under a larger fern. “These appear to grow in a matrix structure by connecting to the other flora via an underground network, similar to Earth’s mushrooms. Run a full analysis.” 

Margo had started scanning before he finished speaking. She spotted more of the purple flowers running in sort of a lazy, curvy line under cover of the leafy green plants that made up the planet’s forest floor. Her tricorder buzzed and whirred as it collected data and she looked ahead to find her next sample. 

“Yeoman, collect samples for transport back to the ship, but avoid touching the petals directly. Scans show that some plants are mildly poisonous and may cause discomfort to human skin.” 

Margo had read the mission brief. She knew not to touch alien plants even if they hadn’t detected potential issues with the flora on this planet. But she had observed Commander Spock often enough to know that he was not being condescending. A lot of the other junior officers didn’t understand that but, as first officer, the well-being and safety of the crew was his responsibility. He would be remiss in his duty if he didn’t say things like that. 

She nodded to him before turning back to the flowers. She heard the dirt crunch beneath his boots as he rose and walked back toward the captain and main contingent of the away party. They were staying pretty close together, with only a few people wandering off in pairs to check out areas a little farther from the beam down point. 

Margo could easily see the rest of the away team, even if she was about 30 feet away and on her own. Commander Spock had left her there so it must be safe. 

Her eyes caught the line of the purple flowers leading deeper into the forest. If they were networked based, she needed to get a wider range of readings than just what she had gathered on a handful of flowers. She inched forward, still crouched low and quadriceps beginning to burn. Her tricorder kept flashing and she kept shuffling along the line of flowers. 

The green leafy undergrowth became too thick and she lost sight of the flowers she was following. She’d need to move the plants aside to continue following the trail, but she didn’t have gloves or anything she could use to lift the plants out of the way. Their away mission kit was severely lacking. Maybe she could suggest redoing the inventory for what to include in mission kits for different types of planets when she got back to the ship. 

Margo shot upright. She couldn’t see the beam down point or any of the away team now. _Shit._ This was exactly what all the manuals and Mr. Spock told her not to do. 

It should be easy to retrace her steps. She had followed the trail of purple flowers but hadn’t strayed too far into the deep foliage for fear of poisonous stings against her legs. She made her way back slowly, keeping her tricorder scanning for anything unusual. They hadn’t picked up any dangerous fauna on their scans but even smaller, nonaggressive animals could be dangerous when they perceived a threat. 

Margo was absolutely not threatening, but they probably wouldn’t know that. 

It only took a few moments until she was back within sight of the beam down point. Margo edged into the clearing, hoping not to draw attention to herself. She managed that but only because as she entered one side of the clearing, a thick, curling vine shot out of the forest canopy and went straight for Captain Kirk’s neck. 

Margo saw it happening as if in slow motion. The captain was facing away from the vine and so were the rest of the away party. Except for Commander Spock.

“Jim!” Spock took three running steps toward the captain and knocked him to the ground. 

The vine missed Captain Kirk’s neck by inches, but redirected and wrapped around Commander Spock’s bicep. 

Spock fell to his knees, face twisted in pain. That scared Margo more than the vine itself. 

Both a security officer and Captain Kirk pulled their phasers and shot at a thick section of the vine, far from Spock’s twisting body. The vine seemed to tighten and Spock screamed. Margo wanted to fall to her knees and cover her ears like she used to do when she was a child. But she stood frozen, watching along with the rest of the away team.

The vine suddenly snapped free from Mr. Spock. It whipped back toward the forest, catching Spock’s cheek with it’s edge. Spock groaned as he hit the ground. 

“Spock! Damn it!” Captain Kirk fell to his knees, mindless of the mud or the impact. He pulled Spock’s head into his lap. Margo could see slick, green blood on his cheek and the edges of his shirt looked almost as if they had burned. Green blood seeped through the tattered fabric. 

Dr. McCoy came rushing over, barely skidding to a stop before running a tricorder over Spock’s head and chest. 

Margo watched in horror as Dr. McCoy looked hard at Kirk. The men didn’t exchange words but Kirk nodded and pulled out his communicator. “ _Enterprise_ , three to beam up.” 

In an instant, Dr. McCoy, Captain Kirk, and Commander Spock were gone. Margo’s heart ached. She’d seen crewmates come back from away missions with injuries before, even Kirk and Spock themselves, but she’d never seen it so severe. She’d never had to witness it happening.

A vine like that could have found her in the forest when she separated herself from the group, and she may have been too far away to get help. Margo was struck by a vision of herself lying on the ground of an alien planet, with a vine wrapped around her neck, slowly dying. Or maybe not so slowly, based on how quickly the vine had taken down Commander Spock. 

Even if Commander Spock was responsible for the captain’s safety and well-being, jumping in front of plants that pose a known danger didn’t seem to be standard procedure. Or logical. She’d have to check the command manual again.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been four days since the away team incident. Commander Spock remained in Sickbay. According to one of the new nurses, he was in and out of consciousness and Doctor M’Benga was considering contacting Vulcan. 

Margo hadn’t seen Mr. Spock since that moment when he was beamed away from the planet. She had barely seen Captain Kirk since then either. He spent the bare minimum of time on the bridge and wasn’t eating in the mess. He might be in the officers’ lounge but Margo couldn’t go in there. More than once, Mr. Sulu or Mr. Scott had signed off on reports or duty rosters in the captain’s absence. 

She was concerned. The new nurse said the captain spent a lot of time in Sickbay. 

There was no reason she couldn’t go to Sickbay after her shift. She was Captain Kirk’s personal yeoman. Her duties included seeing to his needs and business. The business part she was handling just fine, but Margo felt as if she weren’t helping on the needs part. Surely, if Commander Spock were able, he would have said something to the captain by now. It was his duty, and she’d seen Commander Spock say things like that before. 

Her shift was wrapping up. Maybe she would just pop by Sickbay to see if the captain was there, and if he needed anything. 

Margo wasn’t surprised to find the captain in Sickbay. She was surprised that he seemed to be the only person there, other than Mr. Spock of course, and that the lights were low. 

She stood in the doorway between the two Sickbay wards, watching Mr. Spock’s vitals on the body function panel above his biobed. She didn’t know what a single reading meant but he looked pale even in the dim lights. 

“Yeoman Jones?” 

Kirk’s voice was rusty and thick sounding. She pulled her eyes away from Mr. Spock to look at Captain Kirk. He sat, bent at the waist with his elbows resting on his knees, next to Spock’s biobed. 

“I came to see if you needed anything, sir.” 

He dragged a hand across his face. His looked haggard, maybe worse than Commander Spock did. Captain Kirk usually glowed but he was as dim as the lights above them. 

“No, Yeoman Jones. I’m fine.” 

Margo took a step forward and squashed her knee jerk reaction to argue with him. He wasn’t fine. The captain loved being on the bridge and he hadn’t been. He loved seeing to the needs of his crew and exploring the unknown. He hadn’t been doing either of those things for the past four days either. 

She didn’t want to contradict her commanding officer. The thought made clammy sweat break out under her arms. But she was supposed to see to the captain’s needs. Did that count if she thought he needed something but he didn’t think so? 

“You haven’t been eating in the mess, sir.” That wasn’t contradicting him. It was just stating something she had observed. That wasn’t insubordinate, she hoped. 

Kirk looked up at her. It was the first time he’d looked directly at her. 

“I could bring you something, if you’d like.” She sounded nervous. Not as bad as she did that first day on the bridge but she wanted to sound stronger, more confident months into her assignment. 

The captain sighed and leaned back in his chair. It didn’t look very comfortable, especially if he’d been spending most of his time sitting there over the past four days. He crossed his arms over his chest and went back to watching the rise and fall of the blanket over Mr. Spock’s chest. 

She waited. 

She wasn’t good at keeping track of time without a chrono but it felt like forever until he looked at her again.

“You are very thorough, Miss Jones.” He smiled a bit this time. 

“Thank you, sir.” She wasn’t entirely sure it had been a compliment but that smile felt like her biggest accomplishment as a yeoman. 

“Bones will make me eat something.” He looked back to the biobed and his smile slipped away. “There’s more than just you watching out for me on this ship.”

Part of her wanted to tell him she was sure Commander Spock would be fine, that he’d wake up and not even have scars from whatever that vine had done to his flesh. But another part of her remembered how people had said that about her mother, and how deeply angry she still was that it hadn’t been true. 

“Goodnight, sir.” She started to back out of the room, reluctant to turn her back on the captain and Mr. Spock. 

“Yeoman.” The captain’s voice stopped her inside the doorway. “Mr. Spock and I have both been impressed by your work. If you wanted to apply for officer candidacy, go to Starfleet Academy, we would both give you a recommendation.” 

Margo’s heart nearly stopped. They’d talked about her. Maybe in one of their chess sessions or in some personnel meeting she wasn’t privy to, they’d talk about her. They’d noticed her. Noticed her for her work and not how awkward she was or how easily she blushed or how quietly she spoke sometimes. 

“Thank you, sir.” 

She almost ran from the swish of the Sickbay doors closing behind her. She still had Sulu’s old command training manual. She should read it again before she gave it back.

It took Commander Spock another 34 hours to wake up, and another day after that to be back on duty


	6. Chapter 6

Her computer beeped, indicating that she had an unread message. It was early. Early enough that she could still be sleeping before alpha shift. Instead, she curled up in her desk chair watching the light on her screen flash. 

Margo had been on the _Enterprise_ for fourteen months. The best fourteen months of her life. And this message could take her away from that. 

But, if it wasn’t a transfer off the _Enterprise_ , that meant she had failed. She’d failed and she’d have to tell Captain Kirk and Commander Spock. They were the only ones who knew she’d sent the request to Starfleet Academy. And Doctor McCoy. She’d needed a physical for her application. 

Unless they knew already. Would Starfleet have told the captain their decision before telling her? He was her commanding officer. 

If it was a no, and Kirk knew already, Margo didn’t know how she’d face him during alpha shift. 

There was only one way to find out. She had better do it now in case she needed time to stop crying before reporting to the bridge. 

Margo stabbed at the message on her screen.

_Yeoman Margo Jones,_

_Starfleet Academy is pleased to offer you a place in our officer candidate class of…_

Margo stood so quickly that her chair fell over. She slapped a hand across her mouth.

She had gotten in. Into Starfleet Academy. She was going to be a commissioned officer. A command officer. 

The screen blurred in front of her eyes. She scrubbed at her eyes to clear the tears. She needed to read it again, make sure she’d read it correctly the first time. Make sure there was no mistake. 

The message stayed the same. She would disembark the _Enterprise_ in 17 days when they stopped at Starbase 12. 

That’s where she joined the ship just over a year ago. A new yeoman would probably be waiting for Captain Kirk there. Or maybe he’d promote a yeoman already onboard to be his personal yeoman. Margo would like that better. She wanted to be able to train her replacement. To tell whoever it was what Captain Kirk liked and what he didn’t. Tell them how to behave themselves.

She would miss the captain. 

It was him she had to thank for this. She wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t encouraged her. 

She had a couple of hours before shift switch. She could get ready now and pick up breakfast for the captain in the mess. He’d still be in his quarters this early and she could tell him the good news.

She needed to tell him before they were on the bridge together. There was no way she was going to remain totally professional about it when she thanked him for pushing her to this and she hated to think of Mr. Spock’s face if she started crying on the bridge. 

So, uniform first then a tray to the captain’s quarters. 

***************  
Margo knew what Doctor McCoy’s diet card said the captain should have for breakfast, but that didn’t seem like much of a thank you. Instead, she headed toward the captain’s quarters with a tray of bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, orange juice, and coffee. He could eat fruit and oatmeal any morning. This morning was special. 

The corridors were still empty. It was barely 0500 hours ship-time after all. 

She rounded the last corner between her and Captain Kirk’s door with a bounce in her step. The early hour and the quietness of the ship did nothing to dampen her spirit. She was going to be _an officer_. 

Fourteen months of careful observation and training brought her to an abrupt, silent halt. 

She could only see Captain Kirk’s right hand, a bit of his arm, and the curl of his shoulder. A little of his chin and jaw poked out from around the door frame. But she could see Commander Spock clearly, standing half in-half out of the captain’s quarters. 

That wasn’t the strange part, wasn’t the part that made her stop mid-stride in the corridor. It wasn’t even that Mr. Spock was here at an early hour. After all, she was too. It was Kirk’s hand. 

It curled around Spock’s hip, thumb stroking over the seam of the black thermal Spock wore under his bunched up uniform shirt. 

The muscles of Spock’s back looked relaxed and he didn’t seem to be pulling away. His left arm was raised but disappeared into the captain’s doorway at an angle where Margo couldn’t make out what was happening. 

Spock leaned forward. His feet stayed planted just beyond the doorway but his part of his profile disappeared back inside the captain’s quarters. Kirk’s hand traveled from Spock’s hip to his bicep and slid over his shoulder to wrap around the back of Spock’s neck. 

Margo took a step back. If she could ease back around the corner maybe neither of them would see her. 

Spock stepped back before she could disappear. He kept his face turned toward the captain but she held her breath anyway. Kirk’s fingers moved against Spock’s neck, against his hairline. Margo watched, transfixed, as the corner of Spock’s mouth turned up. Most of his mouth was hidden by the doorway and could barely see it at this distance, but it was definitely a smile. A small, precious smile that he shared with the captain. 

Margo suddenly felt horrible for having seen this. It was spying. She wasn’t supposed to be here. 

Commander Spock straightened and Margo tensed. If he turned his head this way, she would be caught. If she moved now, she might draw his attention. 

Kirk’s hand fell from Spock’s neck back to his hip. He smoothed down the bunched and rumpled edge of Spock’s uniform until it lay flat and perfect against Spock’s body. 

Margo was blushing. She could feel it on her cheeks. 

Spock said something. She saw his lips move but couldn’t hear anything more than a mumble. She did hear Kirk’s laugh, teasing and full of affection. She sometimes heard a similar laugh on the bridge, always directed at Mr. Spock, but that paled in comparison to the emotion she heard now. The love that was obvious in the captain’s laugh. 

This was worse than nearly seeing the captain and Mr. Spock kiss. This felt more intimate. More private. 

Captain Kirk’s hand fell away and Spock rocked back on his heels. Panic sliced through Margo. She saw her Starfleet Academy acceptance vanishing before her eyes. She didn’t care if the captain and Mr. Spock were involved. Actually, it was kind of sweet. She liked them. They both deserved to be happy. And if Mr. Spock was willing to ignore fraternization rules, they must be happy. 

She could tell the captain that, she thought, but involving her own feelings would probably make Commander Spock’s reaction worse. 

Her arms went rigid to keep the silverware and plates on the tray from rattling as she shook. 

The commander turned the other direction without looking back at her and walked away. The captain’s door whooshed closed. 

Margo almost collapsed on the floor. 

She couldn’t take breakfast to the captain now. What she had seen would show all over her face. 

She’d take it back to the mess. Riley was on gamma shift this week as a subtle punishment for running his mouth again. He usually stopped by as his shift was ending to grab a snack. She’d tell him she made it for herself but wasn’t hungry now. He’d believe that. 

But that was all she was going to tell Riley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! I'm shocked at the interest in this little fic and how many people reached out to say they liked Margo.


End file.
